Latest from Samantha Jordan

****CAUTION: GRAPHIC PHOTOS BELOW*** An intruder in Virginia may want to think twice before breaking into a home again after being attacked by one family’s pet German Shepherd. Tristan Murrin and his mother left their dog Odin in charge of their Richmond home when they went out on Thursday night. When they came back, Odin greeted them at the door. That’s when they saw drops of blood on the floor. They went upstairs and discovered a scene straight out of a horror film: blood splattered all over the walls, floor and doors. 'We looked upstairs and you could see trails of blood coming from upstairs, going all the way down,' he told WRIC. Turns out the would-be thief broke into the home but, unfortunately for him, he came face-to-face with Odin, who clearly took care of business. Murrin says Odin has never been aggressive before and must’ve known there was someone in the house who didn’t belong there. The family says there had been a few robberies in the neighborhood recently. Nothing was missing from their home and the intruder was gone by the time they got back. “I think the dog did its job,” he said about his best friend. So far, no arrests have been made. **WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE** (VIDEO)

Out of 917 hate groups in the United States, 63 of them are in Florida, ranking the Sunshine State second in the nation. California is the number one home to hate groups with 79. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, 22 hate groups exist in Central Florida alone. Just to name a couple: American Vanguard is based in Orlando; the Christian American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is in Bushnell. A flyer circulating on social media advertising Saturday’s deadly white nationalist rally ‘Unite the Right’ in Charlottesville, Virginia listed Florida attorney Augustus Invictus as a speaker for the event. Invictus ran as a Libertarian for U.S. Senate in Central Florida last year. Multiple people were injured and one woman died after a car plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters. University of South Florida adjunct professor H. Roy Kaplan tells WFLA these hate groups tend to recruit young, impressionable people online. “The groups are looking at people who are alienated, isolated. These are the ones that are outcasts. You find them in schools, and they sit alone in the cafeteria. They don’t have friends. They keep to themselves.” There are zero hate groups listed in Hawaii.

Two babysitters from Massachusetts are facing criminal charges after posting a video to Snapchat, showing them placing a crying baby girl inside a refrigerator and shutting the door. The video, taken Monday at a home in Danvers, Massachusetts, shows the girls carrying the infant to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator door and shutting it while laughing as the baby cries from inside. (VIDEO) Moments later, they take the terrified baby out. According to the Daily Mail, the baby’s mother was away from home fro a little over a half an hour when the video was posted to social media. One of the sitters was a family member, the other a family friend. “This past evening at approximately 9:30 p.m., Danvers officers were notified by Swampscott police about a potential situation,' Danvers Police Chief Patrick Ambrose said in a news conference. “I was horrified,” Bonnie Brogna told NECN. “I didn't expect that to happen. These teenagers, I don't believe they did it to harm my child.” The baby wasn’t injured. The babysitters are now charged with child endangerment and assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon.

Three manatees had a rough day Wednesday after washing ashore on Clearwater Beach. Lucky for them, a group of beachgoers and firefighters came to the rescue. Clearwater Fire & Rescue tweeted video of the crew pushing the large sea cows back out into the water. (tweet) According to the Tampa Bay Times, seven manatees had gotten stranded onshore around 3 p.m. but by the time rescuers showed up, only three still needed help. Clearwater Fire & Rescue thinks high winds and strong waves may have pushed the manatees onto the sand as they swam in shallow water. (tweet) (tweet)

The next American Idol superstar could be discovered right here in O-Town.ABC announced on Thursday that the American Idol Audition Bus Tour will make a stop at Disney Springs in Lake Buena Vista on Thursday, August 17th. Special guests will also make an appearance including former Idol contestants Jordin Sparks, Ruben Studdard, and Kris Allen. Singing hopefuls will have a chance to sing for Idol producers who will decide if they are good enough to go to Hollywood and move on to the next round of auditions. Contestants must be between the ages of 15 and 28 in order to audition. Early arrival is encouraged since thousands are expected to show up to try out. Parking will be available starting at 4 a.m. at the surface parking lot on the West Side of Disney Springs, near the House of Blues. Auditions begin at 8 a.m. If you can’t attend the auditions, you’re not completely out of luck. There will be a pop-up audition kiosk at Disney Springs on August 18 through September 15. The show spent 15 seasons on Fox before getting axed. ABC has picked it up to air in 2018 with longtime host Ryan Seacrest coming back to the show. Katy Perry is also set to be one of the judges. For audition information, CLICK HERE. (VIDEO) (VIDEO) (VIDEO)

If you plan on picking up a quick breakfast or lunch at 7-Eleven today, we hope this doesn’t ruin it for you: a Facebook video going around shows roaches crawling around the hot dog rollers at a Sanford location. The video was taken by Chris Fiorenza who posted it to a Sanford community group on Facebook. He claims it was taken at the store on 25th Street and Airport Blvd. on July 31. (Facebook) “You guys need to clean better, ya’ll got roaches in your food,” Fiorenza says in the video. An assistant manager at the store tells Channel 9 Eyewitness News that she doesn’t believe that it’s her store on the video and that they don’t have a bug problem. Some customers who watched the clip found it disturbing. “The fact that they were comfortable hanging out on the hot dogs shows me there’s probably a little more than meets the eye. I’d hate to see the back room.” An inspector visited the store this week but no report has been released. The store has been cited seven times in the past for cleaning and food storage problems, but passed their most recent inspection.

A low pressure system sitting in the eastern Gulf will push more rain towards Central Florida on Wednesday.Channel 9 Eyewitness News meteorologist Brian Shields tells us some of today’s storms will be strong and severe. “Gusty winds, watching out for some hail and clusters of lightning.” Rain chances remain around 70-80% on Wednesday going into Thursday. (tweet)

Ever wonder why the contents of your luggage are sometimes a complete mess when you reach your final destination? This may have something to do with it.Some baggage handlers have been fired from Orlando International Airport after someone recorded cellphone video of them slamming passengers’ suitcases onto a conveyor belt. Matthew Campbell, 19, was on board his British Airways flight when he looked out the window and saw three workers tossing the bags onto the luggage carousel. One man is seen raising suitcases over his head before slamming them down. They were unloading a Virgin Atlantic flight that had just landed from overseas. Campbell tells the Daily Mail: “I saw it out of the window and I couldn't believe it. It was ridiculous. They were throwing the bags and I wouldn't be surprised if people's suitcases and belongings were broken by the way they were hurling them.” The Greater Orlando Airport Aviation Authority released a statement that providing “safe, secure and excellent customer service is our mission at Orlando International Airport” and that “the employees involved have been removed from working at the airport.” According to a spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic, they say they are aware of the video and are investigating “to ensure this doesn't happen again.” (VIDEO)

Orange County deputies are looking for a man who they say robbed a Winn-Dixie at gunpoint on Colonial Drive near the 408 and UCF. Around 11:30 p.m. Monday night, three employees were leaving the store after it closed when a man with a gun forced them back into the store and robbed them. He then wanted them to open the safe but when they couldn't he took off on foot. No one was hurt. Police did a sweep of the area but couldn't find the suspect. This is the second grocery store robbery in two days in Orange County. Early Monday --three armed men robbed the Walmart Neighborhood Market on Orange and Michigan Avenues. Those men are still on the run. No word on if both robberies are connected.

You can’t miss the big, lopsided building on International Drive. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium has been an Orlando tourist district staple for 25 years! To celebrate their quarter-century anniversary, Ripley’s is hosting the ‘Meet a Hero, Be a Hero’ event on Tuesday. A portion of admission proceeds will be donated to Mission Blue, an organization that supports first responders. “Those really are our superheros, the firefighters and police officers,” Ripley’s Public Relations manager Suzanne Smagala-Potts tells News 96.5 WDBO’s Samantha Jordan. “Everybody that comes in today, they know that they’re not only going to be having a great time with their families but they’re also going to be helping out a wonderful organization.” From 1:30pm-3:30pm, there will be a Fire Truck Education Visit from local firefighters to entertain families and kids. “We’re going to have a fire truck and firefighters where guests and kids can meet them, talk to the firefighters, get inside the truck, learn how it works. We’re also having the Sheriff’s Office come out so the kids can meet real life police officers.” (VIDEO) There will also be a blood drive from noon to 5pm and anyone who donates blood will get free admission to Ripley’s. The event is part of the Superhero Summer at the popular attraction. Each week for the entire summer, you can nominate someone that you consider to be a local superhero. “We’ve had everybody from first responders to single moms to people that run charities.”The weekly winner can score lifetime passes to Ripley’s, merchandise and they also get entered into a grand prize drawing for $2,500 for themselves and $2,500 to a charity of their choice. You can nominate your superhero HERE.

Samantha Jordan

Samantha Jordan is a reporter for Orlando's Morning News and website contributor for News965.com.

After graduating from the University of Central Florida, Samantha interned for the morning show at Magic 107.7 in 2010. She was then offered a job in Houston, TX for the top 10 radio news station KTRH 740. Trading in her swimsuit for a cowboy hat, Samantha made the move to KTRH where she worked as the web reporter and writer. Her on-air segment 'Connected' brought to life all of the viral videos that are trending on the web. Houston listeners dubbed her 'the web goddess' as she brought light-hearted and comedic relief during the morning commute.

Television came calling and Samantha was approached by the local TV station Fox 26 to participate in their weekly 'Fox in Focus' segment, which talked about women's issues in a debate-style setting. In 2012, Samantha was offered a job with News 96.5 as an anchor/reporter and happily returned to her hometown.

When Samantha isn't reporting or scouring the web for cat videos, she enjoys going to concerts, movies, and spending time with her son and their dogs, Sebastian and Maya.

The Latest Headlines You Need To Know

Florida prisons were placed on lockdown Thursday following reports of security threats. >> Read more trending news The Florida Department of Corrections announced that it canceled weekend visitation at all institutions for Saturday and Sunday because of a possible security threat. Correction officials said they received information that indicated small groups of inmates at several institutions would try to disrupt prison operations. The lockdown affects more than 97,000 inmates in Florida’s 151 correctional facilities, including major institutions, work camps and annex facilities. The move affects recreational and educational programs, but inmates are not confined to their cells, officials said. The cancellation does not apply to work release centers, department officials said.

A group of storms east of the Caribbean has developed into Tropical Storm Harvey. Harvey is approaching the Lesser Antilles and it is forecast to continue traveling west, officially arriving in the Caribbean Friday afternoon. It has been given a 100 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone over the next two days. It’s also expected to become a hurricane by Monday morning. At this point it is no threat to Florida. “We have entered the peak of Hurricane season, which is mid-August through late October,” said Dennis Feltgen, spokesman for the National Hurricane Center.

A Cleveland father is upset after he says his son was left on the school bus for hours on his first day of classes. WJW reported that Trevelle Hargrove’s 6-year-old son, Trevelle Jr., has special needs. Hargrove said his son fell asleep on the bus. >> Read more trending news Trevelle Jr. said he was found after he honked the horn of the bus and jumped up and down. A spokesperson for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District said Trevelle Jr. fell asleep on the bus Monday and was there for less than an hour. His father says otherwise. “After an hour and they couldn't tell me what was going on I started to get extremely worried,” Hargrove told WJW. 'I couldn't understand why no one could tell me where my son was.” Hargrove said his son was back four hours later, at 6:30 p.m. “You can’t just forget to do things,” he said. “This isn’t like a normal job where you forget to put the straw in the bag or you forget to clock in or whatever it is you do at a normal job. You can’t do that when it comes to kids.” Hargrove said his son won’t be riding the bus again any time soon. The district is is investigating. Cleveland Metropolitan Schools Chief Communications Officer Roseann Canfora issued the following statement to WJW: “Drivers are trained to follow strict protocols for inspecting every seat at the beginning and end of their routes, and CMSD has a zero tolerance for any violation of these safety guidelines.” The bus driver has resigned. WJW reported they may be terminated pending the outcome of the district’s investigation.

Authorities said a terror attack in Barcelona claimed at least 13 lives on Thursday and left 80 others injured after a van slammed into pedestrians on Barcelona's popular La Rambla street. >> Read more trending news Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalonia police force, confirmed the attack in a Twitter post around 5:10 p.m. local time.

Many scientists and groups across the U.S. aren’t taking Monday’s eclipse for granted - they want to learn things! There will be lots of experiments happening during the 90-minute event. Here are just a few: 1. The eclipse movie - Volunteers from national labs and education groups will track the sun along its path using identical telescopes, which will take continuous digital pictures. The pictures will be later spliced together to make a 90-minute movie. So don’t fret if you can’t watch on Monday! 2. Sounds - college students at Tennessee’s Austin Peay State University, along with NASA< will measure the sound of the eclipse by setting up low-frequency radio experiments in bean fields. They’ll capture the noise the eclipse creates and figure out how its different from normal conditions. 3. Animal behavior - Also at Austin Peay State University, scientists will be watching how crickets and cows act when the Moon covers the sun and darkens the sky. During a solar eclipse in 1991, spiders were seen taking down their webs. 4. Solar flares - We know solar flares happen when the sun’s magnetic field causes a brief burst of intense radiation, but we don’t know enough to protect our technology from them. During the eclipse, a group of scientists in Wyoming will attempt to take some measurements of the sun’s outer atmosphere. Usually the sun is too bright to do this, but the eclipse should provide a good view. Want to watch the eclipse? CLICK HERE to see where you can get free glasses.